Locking garment hanger



4Dec. 17,` 1935. v FLOQCQ LOCKING GARMENT HANGER Filed May 28, y1955 ATTORNEY move the hanger from the supporting rod.

Patented Dec. 17, 1935 Auiu'iiszo STATES Vi i'r i-:N'r OFFICE LocKiNG Gaiman' HANGER. vincent Fiocco, Newark, N. J. Application May 2s, 1935, sei-iai No. casu 4 claims. (o1. zza-ss) hangers, and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel garment hanger having means for locking or positively retaining the same upon a supporting rod in use.

Garment hangers as heretofore constructed are very often accidentally disengaged from their supporting 'rodsmin use, especially whenremoving or replacing an adjoining garment, so that thel disengaged garment hanger falls to the floor and the garment held thereby is usually soiled and wrinkled andvsometimes damaged, as by being accidentally stepped upon.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel garment hanger having easily operated means for locking or positively retaining the garment hanger upon its supporting rod and against accidental displacement therefrom, the said locking means being easily and quickly released when it is--desired to re- Fig. lis a fragmentary view of the novel garment hanger of this invention employed for sup-v porting a garment, the user being shown in the act of applying the locking or retaining means for preventing the accidental-,dislodgment of the' hanger from its supporting rod.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the structure of Fig. 1. j Y

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig'. 2 but shows the locking means applied, and also illustrates in dotted lines how the locking meansprevents the .falling of the hanger. l

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the ymanner of releasing the locking'or retaining means preparatory to removing the hanger from its supporting rod. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of the hanger hooks and locking means therefor, and

' Fig. 6 is an enlargedsectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

v- Similar characters of reference are employed vin said views, to indicate corresponding parts. Referring now to the said drawing, the reference numeral I designates the novel garment hanger as a whole, the said hanger having the usual bow shaped garment supporting bar 2 -and upstanding hook 3 with its shank4 extending through and attached to the-bar 2. -According to the preferred construction, the 6 free end of the hook 3 is apertured at 5 or otherwise formed for receiving and retaining one end of a short chain or flexible connector 6,`to the other end of which is attached al locking'member or clasp 1 of approximately C-shape as l0 viewed in plan (see Fig. 6). The'locking member or clasp'l is shown as provided with an ap-Y erture 8 for receiving the end link of chain 6 to thereby attach the clasp to the chain 6. AAperture 8 is positioned on the central imaginary axis 15 or. centerline I3 of clasp 1, the said axis I3 passing-through the center of the substantially circular central receiving aperture 9 of the clasp and midway through the throat or space I0 separating the opposed ends of clasp arms II.

The width of throat I0 is somewhat less than the diameter of the shank4 lof hook 3. The upper portion of shank 4 is squeezed inwardly from both sides or pinched from opposite sides at I2, 1 I.

thereby 4providing a narrow or constricted portion positioned to extend at right angles to the plane of hook 3, the said constricted portion I2 being of substantially rectangular cross-section as shown in Fig. 6. The constricted portionl2 is of slightly mss4 thickness than that of'throai; so

Ill, whereas the width of this constricted portion, i. e. the length of its rectangular cross-section, is somewhat greater than the diameter of shank 4 (see Fig. 6).

By holding locking clasp 1. with its imaginary axis or centerline I3 at right angles to the plane of hook 3, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, the clasp 'I may be moved toward the shank 4, the constricted portion I2 passing through throat I0 and into'the central receiving aperture 9. 'Ihe 40 outer edges of arms, II are preferably rounded or beveled at I4 to Afacilitate the entrance of constricted portion I2 into throat I0. If the clasp 'I is now released it will 'slide down. the shank 4 but will not come o of this shank since throat45 I0 is of less width than the diameter'of shank 4,. as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 3, wherein the hook 3 is shown supported onV the rod I5, l

The garment hanger I is-now locked'on' the supa porting rod 2 and cannot be accidentally rremoved therefrom. For example, if `the garment hanger is pushed into the dotted line position shown in the garment hanger from falling from the rod I5. This will be evident when it is noted that though clasp 1 has moved up to the constricted portion I2, yet since the larger dimension or width of this constricted portion extends parallel to the rod I5, i. e. at right angles to the plane of hook 3, and as this larger dimension of the constricted portion is now presented toward the throat III, it is impossible for the clasp 1 to disengage the shank 4, the width of the constricted portion I2 being considerably greater than that of throat I II. g

When it is desired to remove the garment hanger from the supporting rod I5 it is merely necessary to pre'ss or move a inger, for example the forenger I6 of the right hand, against the chain 6, pressure being applied in a. direction parallel to rod I5, i. e. at right angles to the plane of hook 3. This motion of the linger rst causes clasp 1 to turn on shank 4 so that the axis I3 of this clasp lies in substantially the same plane ,as the long axis of constricted portion I2. Continued ilnger pressure on chain 6 causes clasp 1 to slide up shank 4 until the throat III arrives opposite the constricted portion I2, whereupon the clasp 1 passes oil of the shank 4 as shown in Fig. 4. In practice, a quick snap of the iinger in the proper direction, i. e. at right angles to the plane of hook I serves to remove the clasp 1 from shank 4, whereupon the hanger I may be taken oil? of rod I Ii. No amount of rough handling of the hanger I while the same is on rod 2, however, will release clasp 1. it being necessary to apply ay force to chain 6 in a direction parallel to rod I5 in order to unlock clasp 1.

Asv many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely dinerent. embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, as defined by the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:-

1. A garment hanger comprising, a garment supporting bar, a hookhaving a. shank portion attached to said bar for supporting the latter, a

substantially ceshaped clasp an Aopen mouth, a ilexible connector having one end thereof attached to the free end of said hook and its other end attached to said clasp, said clasp being arranged to receive the shank of saidhook through the open mouth thereof, to thereby retain said hanger upon a support and against accidental displacement.

2. A garment hanger comprising, a garmen supporting bar, a hook having a shank portion attached to said bar for supporting the latter, a clasp having a receiving recess provided with an entrance throat, a ilexibie connector having one end thereof attached to the free end of said hook and its other end attached to said clasp, said hook shank having a constricted portion extending at an angle to the plane of said hook, said clasp throat being slightly larger than said shank constricted portion, whereby the latter may be entered through said clasp throat so that said hook shank is received within said clasp receiving recess, said hook and said flexible connector thereby forming a closed member for encircling a supporting rod.

3. A garment hanger comprising, a garment supporting bar, a hook having a shank portion attached to said bar' for supporting the latter, a clasp having a receiving recess provided with an entrance throat, a ilexible connector having one end thereof attached to the free end of said hook and its other end attached to said clasp at a point opposite said throat, said hook shank having a constricted portion of substantially rectangular cross-section, the long axis of said restricted portion extending substantially at right angles to the plane of said hook, said clasp throat being slightly larger than the short axis ot said shank restricted portion, whereby thelatter may be entered through said clasp throat so that said hook shank is received within said clasp receiving recess to thereby lock said garment hanger upon a supporting rod, the application of nger pressure to said exible connector in a direction at right angles to the plane of said hook serving to release saidclasp from said hook shank.

4. A garment hanger comprising a garment supporting bar, a hook attached to said bar for supporting the latter, said hook havinga constricted portion formed by pinching inwardly from opposite sides, said constricted portion having a short dimension and a long dimension, the long dimension extending at an angle to the plane of said hook, a chain having one-end attached to the free end of said hook, and a clasp attached to the other end of said chain, said clasp having a receiving recess provided with an entrance throat of larger size than the short dimension of said constricted portions but of lesser size than the long dimension o! said constricted portion.

' VINCENT FLOCCO. 

